Let's Eat - Managing the Movement of Energy and Matter in a Farm Ecosystem
Time Duration
30 - 60 minutes
Purpose
Students will model the food chain from the sun to decomposers using producer and consumer examples that are found on a farm.
Kentucky Academic Standards
NGSS
3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
MS-LS2-3 Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
MS-LS1-6 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
Materials
“Farm Food Chain” cards (29 available) - print on card stock
String (optional for creating food webs)
“Farm Food Chain” labels - print on 4” x 3.3” shipping labels and attach them to clear plastic cups
150 yellow craft pom poms, bingo chips, beads, paper strips, or sticks (represent energy units)
Procedures
Activity 2A - for Classroom or Preparation for the next Activity:
Provide each student with a Food Chain Card. Use any extras as needed.
Based on their grade level, have students label the cards as BIOTIC or ABIOTIC; HETEROTROPH or AUTOTROPH; PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS (PRIMARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY & HERBIVORE, OMNIVORE, AND CARNIVORE), or DECOMPOSERS. See “Vocabulary List.”
You may ask students to create their own food chains by organizing others (evaluate as needed), or you may have one student come to the front of the room, and the class works together to build an accurate food chain or web. Start with the sun and a plant (producer) to build it in one direction until they understand the flow of energy.
Have students write down the different chains or webs on paper. Ask older students to predict SYMBIOTIC interactions among parts of the farm ecosystem and label relationships (COMMENSALISM, MUTUALISM, OR PARASITISM).
Procedures - Activity 2B - for larger space or outside:
Provide each student a cup with a FARM FOOD CHAIN LABEL. If you have fewer students than labels, reduce the number of producers and consumers proportionately (4 producers to 2 primary consumers to 1 secondary consumer is a good ratio). The teacher or an adult should be the SUN and the FARMER (in charge of distributing energy units and managing PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS), and there should be at least one DECOMPOSER. It may be helpful to let students build a few food chains with their organisms before playing the game. This way, they will have a better idea from where they may collect energy chips.
Each label provides rules of play for interacting with other organisms. PRODUCERS must stand still and provide energy as needed. Primary CONSUMERS will visit the different plants to collect energy. Secondary CONSUMERS may only collect energy from other consumers.
The game begins with the SUN providing each PRODUCER with five energy units (pom poms or other items).
In the first round, the primary CONSUMERS (colored yellow or orange) are allowed to visit the PRODUCERS for 1 minute (by walking only) to collect the appropriate number of energy units. Some animals may not eat certain plants, so they will not receive energy from those plants. If a PRODUCER is out of energy or does not have enough energy, the CONSUMER must find a different PRODUCER.
The SUN may replenish the CONSUMERS with two energy units each as needed during the gameplay. However, since the SUN is also the FARMER, you may want to pay attention to what your livestock CONSUMERS need.
In the second round, the red CONSUMERS are allowed to enter the game. Red and orange CONSUMERS may now also collect from other CONSUMERS depending on the rules on the cups. Then, the game commences for another 60 seconds.
If any yellow or orange CONSUMER loses all but one energy unit, they must sit down, and the DECOMPOSER visits to collect their last chip. Those consumers are no longer in the game. Red CONSUMERS enter the game with 0 chips and will have one round to collect energy. If no energy is collected, they are no longer in the game. You may let secondary consumers (colored orange or red) chase primary consumers. The secondary CONSUMER (colored orange or red) only collects if their prey is tagged. If the game gets out of hand, the FARMER may choose to remove those problematic pests!
Gameplay continues for one more round.
At the end of the game, count how many energy units are available for the farmer to sell for food.
The class may now play one more time with additional farming challenges added. Place the following scenarios in a hat and choose one blindly in between each round:
Drought. Half of the plants die due to a lack of water. (Half of the plants must sit out.)
Poultry (chickens and turkeys) get the flu. They sit out of the game.
Locusts quadruple in number. Locusts may now take four energy units from each plant.
Predators double in number. Hawks, raccoons, and coyotes take twice the energy units from other consumers.
Discuss the activity with students, and ask them what they believe is the most important part of the ecosystem. How do farmers control their ecosystem? Provide enough food for their livestock? Keep vulnerable livestock away from predators? Remove predators? Control insects? What happens when challenges are not under the farmer’s control?
OPTIONAL: Ask students to complete the Farm Food Chain Assessment Sheet OR ask them to create a Farm Food Chain independently.
